19th Annual 40 Under Forty

Save the date! 19th Annual 40 Under Forty presented by the Chicago Lawyer & Chicago Daily Law Bulletin will be Wednesday, May 9, 2018, at The Ivy Room. For more information regarding the event or underwriting opportunities please contact Alyssa Gawlinski at 312-644-2394 or AGawlinski@lawbulletinmedia.com

If you ask the clients of Jenner & Block Partner Mercedes Hill, they’ll tell you that building their trust and confidence begins and ends with excellence. It’s a quality that Hill has honed through many years as a transactional lawyer, long nights working on complex and important mergers and acquistions, exquisite attention to detail and a calm, steady demeanor. It’s also how she has earned a reputation as one of the most skilled corporate lawyers in the Chicago area.

From divestitures to acquisitions, Hill represents diverse companies, both public and private, including well-known organizations such as General Dynamics Corporations, Archer-Daniels-Midland, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Schneider Electric, Honeywell and General Motors Corporation. Hill also represents clients on deals of all sizes, ranging from below $5 million to over $5 billion.

“As a lawyer under 40, Mercedes has exceptional skills,” said Thuy Vo, chief counsel with client Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) Company. “She is particularly responsive, and has an excellent understanding of our business. She is calm under pressure, displaying poise beyond her years, and is tireless.” Hill assisted ADM with two complicated cross-border transactions for $440 million and $1.3 billion.

Germaine Gurr, vice president and deputy general counsel with client Schneider Electric, said that Hill has become a key member of the company’s team thanks to her willingness to work long hours to shepherd Schneider’s mergers and acquisitions, her keen understanding of the company’s business model and her sharp legal mind.

Gurr said that Hill has represented Schneider on some of its biggest deals, including the company’s $1.25 billion acquisition of the Asco Power that involved over 20 foreign jurisdictions. She has also recently represented Schneider on the acquisition of Renewable Choice Energy Inc. and previously represented Schneider on a number of other M&A transactions, including in its agreement to sell its transportation business to Kapsch TrafficCom AG for $30 million.

“Mercedes’ business acumen and legal skills are second to none,” Gurr said. “She provides our company with exceptional work and advice, well beyond her years. Our company is demanding, and Mercedes has established herself as a ‘go-to’ resource for our M&A transactions. Of all the lawyers I have worked with, Mercedes is exceptional.”

Excellence in her legal practice also extends to her deep desire to give back through involvement and volunteerism. She is a member of the Black Women Lawyers Association and the Business Section of the ABA and sits on the boards of EPIC Academy and Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. Hill in 2016 was selected as a Fellow for Leadership Greater Chicago, a national civil leadership development organization. She has also served as volunteer legal counsel to Ladies of Virtue, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women in under-served communities.